Washington, DC – OCA – Asian American Advocates recognizes the 75th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act of 1943, more commonly known as the Magnuson Act.

The legislation repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which was the first ever piece of American legislation that banned an entire ethnic group from entering the United States. However, the Magnuson Act also introduced a quota that would limit the number of people entering the U.S. from China to 105 annually.

“While the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act was a positive step forward, it continued to unnecessarily stymie immigration to the United States from China through a restrictive quota system,” said Vicki Shu, OCA Vice President of Public Affairs. “It is not difficult to see the parallels that exist in today’s political climate in which immigrants and refugees are used as partisan bargaining chips, tearing apart families and severely limiting their numbers. In honor of the 75th anniversary of the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, OCA calls on politicians from both sides of the aisle to not only denounce restrictive and inhumane immigration measures but also find commonsense solutions that are compassionate and provide the framework for a better immigration system.”

OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national organization of community advocates dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).